A home or other dwelling may be equipped with a system of sensors, a controller, and related components. The controller is often set manually to one of a number of predefined configurations, in order to perform various functions, such as providing heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) and securing the structure against intruders. The data gathered by the system in a given configuration may be used, for example, to shut off unneeded energy use, and/or to warn of potentially dangerous conditions and intruders. However, the configuration being used may need to change as circumstances in the dwelling change. For example, a configuration that has certain sensors always on can lead to false alarms, as well as inconvenience for the occupants of the dwelling. Reducing false alarms and increasing convenience is important for the effectiveness and user satisfaction with such systems. Yet current manual methods for setting the configuration of the controller are inefficient and inconvenient for users.